Many applications in the aerospace industry require fluids such as compressed air, brake fluid, coolant and the like to be transported around an aircraft, vehicle or other structure, and a wide variety of hoses are available for these purposes. Known hoses function adequately in normal operating conditions, but can fail or deteriorate when used in extreme conditions such as at high altitude or in extremes of temperature. Failure or deterioration of these hoses can lead, at best, to reduced performance, and at worst to catastrophic failure of critical systems.
One area where high performance hoses are required to operate in extreme conditions is in weapons and countermeasures systems for military aircraft. These systems require extremely high pressure (around 5000 psi) dry air to be delivered reliably at extreme altitudes and temperatures (e.g. temperatures in the range −70° C. to +80° C.), while remaining flexible in dynamic applications. These hoses are subject to fatigue caused by a combination of forces applied by the internal pressure and external inertial loads and flexural loads. As will be appreciated, in such systems, any deterioration or failure of the hose delivering the dry air could have serious adverse consequences.
Accordingly, a need exists for a high performance hose that is able to carry fluids at extremely high pressure and to operate reliably in hostile environments and at extremes of temperature.